At the narrow pass, Nova had already defeated the strongest group of veteran contestants, so the second half of the maze held no more hard obstacles for him.
Vibrava handled the scouting work using Supersonic. The rough terrain of the cross-country race could not slow Nova down, and the contestants behind him were far weaker. They still needed to reach the narrow pass and battle each other there, and only the winners could barely move on to the second half.
Even though Corviknight flew at a slow pace, there was no way for the trainers behind to catch up.
To make sure no fast contestant could suddenly rush past him from behind, Nova left his Nidoking right at the narrow pass, standing guard like a temple statue. For at least half an hour, nobody could get through.
The veteran trainers understood right away that this was simply a strong trainer blocking the path with raw power.
The newer trainers, however, believed this was some kind of boss battle set up by the organizers, one that required everyone to team up to defeat it. Of course, even teaming up did nothing to help them pass.
Looking at the many young trainers sprawled across the ground in front of the narrow pass, Nidoking scratched its head, confused.
What was wrong with these people? It hadn't even provoked them. It had just been standing there, and suddenly they all started yelling about teamwork and combos before charging straight at it.
Why did some people keep coming back for more punishment?
Checking the time, Nidoking realized it was about right. According to the plan, once the gate was blocked long enough, it was supposed to walk through the maze and meet back up with Nova.
But thinking about how far it still had to walk, Nidoking immediately lost all motivation to move.
So instead, Nidoking cleared the path, waved for the remaining trainers to go ahead, and then walked over to the base of a stone pillar and fell asleep on the spot.
It had no plans to meet up with Nova. Let's see if Nova had the nerve not to come back for it. Half an hour of nonstop battling had worn it out completely. After fighting that long, surely it deserved a short break.
At the narrow pass, something happened that had never occurred before in the history of this race.
Because the contestants were nervous about waking the fierce Pokemon sleeping nearby, afraid that any real fight might disturb it and bring its wrath down on them again, everyone became unusually calm and polite. They formed an orderly line and passed through the narrow pass one by one, with great courtesy.
If they had not confirmed with the staff that seven challenge slots were still open, some of them might have given up entirely. But since slots remained, they figured they might as well try their luck.
Guided by Vibrava, Nova didn't waste a single step and reached the finish line first.
After claiming his challenge slot, Nova waited for Nidoking at the finish line. An hour passed. Even the trainers Nidoking had allowed through later had already arrived and secured their own slots, but there was still no sign of Nidoking.
Nova had no choice but to turn around, force a smile, and ask the newly arriving trainers if they had seen Nidoking.
The boy who placed second recognized Nova as that fearsome Pokemon's trainer. Not daring to be careless, he told Nova that Nidoking was most likely still asleep back at its original spot.
Nova was so frustrated that he ended up laughing instead.
It was only because Nidoking never failed him during serious battles that Nova kept indulging its laziness whenever things weren't important.
Still, Nova had to send someone to fetch it, because he truly could not manage without Nidoking by his side.
If it wanted to be lazy, then fine. Nidoking was his very first partner. If Nova didn't spoil it a little, who would? They were bound together for life anyway, so there was no point holding a grudge.
So Nova handed Vibrava Nidoking's Poke Ball and asked it to make another trip.
Young Pokemon really did have impressive stamina. Vibrava didn't mind making a second trip at all and happily accepted the order, taking Nidoking's Poke Ball to bring its sleepy companion home.
If only every Pokemon could be as easygoing as Vibrava!
Watching Vibrava zoom off into the distance, Nova couldn't help but sigh quietly to himself.
Of course, when it came to Nidoking ignoring orders during the match, Nova wasn't about to let it slide completely. As usual, the punishment was cutting its dinner in half, along with making it eat several Poison type ingredients that it hated the most.
Trading half a meal to skip a long walk meant Nidoking still came out behind overall, but its complaints were ignored.
After all, punishing small mistakes early was the only way to prevent bigger ones later, and a trainer needed to keep some authority.
As the senior partner among the team, Nidoking was supposed to set a good example.
Overall, Nova's Pokemon had performed wonderfully throughout the cross-country race. Except for Sprigatito, whose mood turned sour after being separated from Nova for three hours, the whole outing could be called a clear success.
However, by the next day, Nova realized that winning too impressively wasn't always a good thing, and he found himself caught somewhere between laughing and crying.
Wait, what exactly did the Layered Peaks Gym mean by this?
What did they mean, saying that because of his excellent performance in the qualifiers, Gilbert Armstrong would now hold an instructional battle with him?
Nova's entire reason for entering the qualifiers in the first place was to avoid using that ridiculous VIP pass and facing Gilbert directly.
Now it seemed that whether he entered the qualifiers or not, he would end up battling Gilbert anyway. So what exactly had been the point of competing in the qualifiers at all?
Did the Layered Peaks Gym even have any logic left? Someone needed to explain this to him.
However, in the eyes of the Gym staff, Nova's complaints sounded suspiciously like bragging.
Other trainers waited in long lines just hoping for a chance to receive guidance from the Elite known as Gilbert, and most never even got the chance. Yet here was Nova, being offered that very chance, and instead of feeling thrilled, he was trying to turn it down.
Nova thought to himself, did they really think he wanted this so called "good fortune" if it was being forced on him like this?
Faced with Nova's clear refusal, the staff member grew uncertain and decided to call the Gym's management for guidance.
About ten minutes later, a very tall elderly man with white hair and a white beard, his posture remarkably strong and upright, walked into the reception hall of the Layered Peaks Gym, instantly drawing every eye in the room.
"That... that's him!"
"It's the Armed Mountains himself!"
"My goodness, this pressure is incredible. Even from twenty meters away, I feel intimidated..."
"He really lives up to the name..."
Gilbert paid no attention to the crowd and walked straight toward Nova.
The two meter tall Gilbert standing next to the much shorter, 1.7 meter tall Nova made for quite a comical sight.
Seeing the Elite trainer approaching, Nova quickly stood up. Toward this famous, somewhat blunt senior figure, Nova showed the proper respect a younger trainer should offer.
Gilbert asked, "Are you Nova?"
Nova replied, "Hello, Mr. Armstrong. Yes, I am Nova."
Gilbert said, "As a trainer, shouldn't you want to face a challenge more directly when the opponent is strong? Why does it seem like you got cold feet the moment you heard my name, even before the battle began?"
Nova answered, "Mr. Armstrong, I think there's a misunderstanding. What I refused was the 'instructional' part of the battle."
"If we really are going to fight, I hope you'll use your full strength instead of holding back just to 'guide' me. I don't need that kind of guidance. Whether you're an Elite Trainer or a Champion, what I've always wanted is a battle where both sides give everything they have."